Kahn’s farewell match marred by on-field violence

By Abhishek Roy Kolkata, May 27 (IANS) A packed 120,000-strong crowd at Salt Lake stadium gave a grand farewell to legendary goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, who appeared one last time for German giants Bayern Munich against Mohun Bagan Tuesday, but the match was marred by on-field violence as two players clashed on the turf and were red-carded. Bayern Munich left their stamp of authority outplaying Mohun Bagan 3-0. A brace from Zan Schaldrauff (18th, 52nd) and a strike from Ze Roberto (37th) did the job. A depleted Mohun Bagan, the oldest club in Asia, gave their best and went down fighting.

But ugly scenes cropped up in the last few minutes when Bayern’s Breno was brought down outside the box by Mohun Bagan substitute Branco Cardozo in the 83rd minute. The players lost their tempers and Breno kicked Branco and the duo started an ugly fight on the ground. Both were shown the red card by the referee.

A brilliant firework, though, ended the gala evening, which saw one of world’s best goalkeepers bringing down curtains over his illustrious career spanning over two decades.

The match also witnessed a change of generation as Kahn was substituted in the 55th minute and he passed on his gloves to youngster Micheal Rensing. When he started his walk, perhaps one of the longest and his last, the crowd gave him a standing ovation.

Kahn was overwhelmed with the atmosphere. “It is a very special moment for me. Thank you for this great night,” the legend said.

Earlier, Kahn was felicitated by the state association - Indian Football Association (IFA) - with a gold-plated ball with 8,640 diamonds studded on it. Mohun Bagan club also presented the German with a silver boat, the club’s mascot, and a card for life-time membership.